Chapter 454 Call Your Miss Down
The temperature inside the Dragon Ladder rose rapidly due to the Immortal Vermilion Bird. The Dragon Ladder, which had been torn apart by the spirit bird and flying snake, was already teetering on the verge of collapse. The mechanism rope wrapped around the wall was accelerating, but because the various nine streams of magic could not move, it emitted a sharp sound, like a sharp sword desperately stabbing forward.
Gu Gan stood at the entrance of the dragon ladder. The distance between the two gave Gu Gan, who possessed the power of the Divine Strategist, an absolute advantage.
Yu Sui could feel his Nine Streams Technique being affected and rapidly disappearing.
Lightning crackled in front of Gu Gan. His Divine Mechanism Technique had evolved; in his Celestial Official state, he couldn't simultaneously cast all nine types of techniques. But now, Gu Gan had reduced that interval to negligible levels.
Legalist judgment techniques include thunder punishment.
Blue lightning transformed into five fingers, pressing down on Yu Sui's head. The dragon ladder, compressed by the five elements' energy, developed countless cracks, and the walls began to crumble. Gu Gan reached out to pinch Yu Sui, and a five-element light core exploded without warning. The burst of energy shattered Gu Gan's protective aura. Before Gu Gan could stop, Xun Zhiya shouted, "Be careful!"
The second Legalist judgment technique, Thunder Punishment, then descended.
The serpentine lightning struck the black longsword lying in front of Yu Sui, the dark blade crackling as it deflected all the lightning strikes.
Yu Sui gripped the longsword and slashed forward, the blade's sharp energy nearly shattering Gu Gan's protective aura once again.
What powerful sword energy! Even without using the Five Elements Qi, it still made Gu Gan dare not let his guard down.
The dragon ladder shattered and exploded completely with Yu Sui's slash.
The two burst out of the dragon ladder together, the explosion causing the entire floor to shake. Gu Gan, instead of retreating, advanced, raising his hands and shouting, "Forge the blade!"
The golden spirit words transformed into a long sword and landed in his hand.
His expression was fierce, and his attacks were swift. He switched between Divine Mechanism and Nine Streams Techniques at the extreme, while pondering why his protective aura had been broken even though he was within the Heavenly Official's range.
That moment was definitely the manifestation of the Nine Streams Technique. Why was the enemy able to manipulate the Five Elements Qi even when the Heavenly Official was eliminating the Nine Streams Technique?
Because the sword spirit Yan Yan had been present for too long, it might have been burned by the unstable strange fire, and its appearance was also eye-catching. So Yu Sui later devised a way to only use the weapon Black Blade to prevent Yan Yan from revealing itself.
As long as he can regenerate light cores, Yu Sui can continue to use the Nine Streams Technique within the Heavenly Official's territory, although fighting Gu Gan like this consumes more light cores.
Gu Gan fought fiercely, showing no intention of giving anyone a way out, and his attacks were all deadly. Xue He and Xun Zhiya, who had sharp eyes, also noticed the peculiarity of the fight between the two, and were shocked that Yu Sui could use the Nine Streams Technique within the Heavenly Official's domain.
Who is this person?
Xuehe was suspicious of Yu Sui's side and failed to notice Ah Ling, who had been captured, allowing her to break free and run away.
Zhu Laosan kept a close eye on A Ling, and as soon as he saw her run away, he shouted, "Catch that girl!"
Ah Ling used her Wind Control Technique to run directly into the insect pool.
"Stop!" Seeing the direction the girl ran in, Zhu Laosan had a bad feeling and raised his voice again.
Ah Ling was full of energy and plunged into the insect pool with all her might, completely unaware of the dangers involved, only remembering that she had to complete the task Yu Sui had assigned her.
After entering the water, the sounds of the five elements clashing dissipated, and the chirping of insects drowned out the noise. Ah Ling felt a stinging pain in her ears, as if she had turned into an insect herself.
The golden characters in her palm flew out, and Ah Ling followed closely behind. The serpents, flashing with blue-purple light, slithered past her. As if sensing something, gradually all the serpents chased after Ah Ling.
Ah Ling was unaware that the water was getting darker and darker, with only the light of the Word Spirit guiding her way.
As she searched, she inevitably encountered the corpses in the water. Ah Ling was frightened several times, and after being frightened so many times, she became angry and was about to break the corpses blocking her way when she saw the spirit of the words stop.
This corpse was no different from the others, resembling both a human and an insect, except that it represented the death of Shi Yuezhen.
Ah Ling found Shi Yuezhen, but not Cang Shu. She searched the insect pool thoroughly, following the clues to Cang Shu's name, but couldn't find him.
It's likely that there's no trace of their remains.
Zhu Laosan, who was on the shore, was anxious and shouted at Heimian Qi and the others, "Hurry up and go down and grab the man!"
Black-faced Qi turned to the others and shouted to Wang Jun, "Hurry up and go down to arrest them!"
"You go too! Hurry up!" Zhu Laosan kicked Hei Mianqi in the back. "If you catch him, you'll get a major commendation! A reward of a thousand incense sticks!"
Upon hearing of the reward, Wang Jun and his men hurriedly took out water-repellent clothing from the cabinet next to them and put it on to prevent being bitten by insects. Then, one by one, they jumped into the insect pool.
People in the water were trying to catch Ah Ling, while people on the shore were trying to catch Yu Sui. Both sides looked anxious and busy.
Ah Ling noticed someone trying to grab her from the water. She kicked them away and floated to the surface with Shi Yuezhen's remains. As soon as she broke the surface, she shouted, "Sister! I found her! But I only found one body! I can't find the other one!"
She emerged from the water with her eyes still closed, unable to see Yu Sui anywhere, and anxiously cried out, "Sister! I don't recognize those words! I don't know which body we can't find!"
After wiping the water off her face, Ah Ling opened her eyes and saw that the shore was now covered in golden-red flames. The Immortal Vermilion Bird's Heaven-Burning Fire was turning the walls and pillars to ashes, and the sound of falling rocks and collapses was incessant.
Xun Zhiya was surrounded by raging flames, her face was deathly pale, her heart was in a panic, and cold sweat appeared on her forehead. Even her protective aura had become weak.
Ever since the explosion and crash into the sea by the Cloud Chariot Flying Dragon in the Taiyi Sea, Xun Zhiya had developed a fear of fire. Faced with the raging flames before her, her body trembled uncontrollably, and every vein in her body seemed to be surging with the memory of that terrifying experience.
Xun Zhiya seemed to hear the deafening roar of the dragon chariot exploding again.
"Zhiya!"
Gu Gan's urgent and worried cry pierced through the sound of the explosion. Xun Zhiya shook her head, failing to see the burning golden-red wings aimed straight at her brow. "Get out of the way!" Gu Gan flashed in a flash, pulling Xun Zhiya down with him before the wings could pierce her, and they rolled into the sea of fire.
"Young Master!" Zhu Laosan exclaimed, "Elder Xue! These intruders killed the Young Master! They deserve to die!"
He became the busiest person, arresting Ah Ling while simultaneously urging Xue He to kill everyone.
Seeing Xuehe's angry expression and its leap towards Yu Sui, Ah Ling cried out worriedly, "Sister, be careful!"
Yu Sui looked back from the sea of fire.
Gu Gan looked down at Xun Zhiya, whose face was deathly pale, and felt a surge of rage. Xun Zhiya clutched his sleeve tightly, struggling to hold her breath: "I'm fine." The two dodged the golden-red wings descending from the Immortal Vermilion Bird. Gu Gan shielded Xun Zhiya behind him and, together with Xue He, summoned their spirit words and shouted, "Sentence him to death!"
The Immortal Vermilion Bird struggled for only a moment before flapping its wings and changing its attack, heading towards Yu Sui behind it.
Golden and crimson feathers shot out densely from all directions, and the enormous figure of the Immortal Vermilion Bird enveloped Yu Sui, making her appear so frail and insignificant. She looked up at the traitorous Immortal Vermilion Bird and slightly raised an eyebrow, still somewhat underestimating those at the Saint Realm.
Just as Ah Ling was worried about Yu Sui, a large swarm of wings, like flaming arrows, instantly obscured Yu Sui's figure. Ah Ling shouted, completely unaware that Wang Jun and his men had caught up with her, grabbing her feet and pulling her back into the insect pool.
The Snow Crane, using the Wind-Riding Technique, stood in the air, beckoning with its hands, forming hand seals, and silently exhaling, its breath transforming into the incantation: Sea-Stabilizing Needle.
A towering golden pillar of light rose from the insect pool, and lightning transformed into long serpents that forced Yu Sui, who was being forced back by the Immortal Vermilion Bird, were swept into the insect pool.
Lightning flashed in the water, tightly binding Yu Sui's limbs and waist, preventing her from breaking free. Because she lacked a water-repellent garment to block the insects' vision, the blue-purple lights all moved closer to Yu Sui.
Ah Ling was horrified when she saw this. She remembered her sister saying that those were all harmful insects! She punched and kicked at Wang Jun in the water, but there were too many of them, and she couldn't break free for a while. She could only watch helplessly as Yu Sui was swallowed up by countless venomous insects.
The girl, who had been sleeping soundly against the corner of the carriage, suddenly woke up with a start, her delicate brows furrowing as she instinctively clutched her sleeve. Xiao Tao, who was standing guard beside her, hurriedly asked, "Miss, what's wrong?" Then she scolded outside, "Be quiet! You've woken the young lady up."
Zhong Lique raised her hand to smooth her brow. She had just dreamt of her long-lost friend, Sui Sui, falling into a pool of water teeming with insects. Since their separation in the capital, Zhong Lique had never seen Yu Sui again, nor had she ever dreamt of anything related to her.
This was the first time she had felt both happy and worried.
"Miss, have some tea." Xiao Tao handed over a cup of hot tea.
Zhong Lique shook his head: "Let them stop and rest for a while."
After the carriage came to a stop, Zhongli Que sent Xiao Tao away, pretending to close his eyes in deep thought, but actually secretly performing divination.
Her palms were damp with sweat from nervousness. Zhong Lique had never performed divination for Yu Sui before, but the scene she had just foreseen made her unable to ignore it. Worried, she decided to give it a try.
The group at the head of the mountain path stopped as well after learning that Zhongli's carriage had stopped. The accompanying Azure Dragon Army soldiers came to report, and Jiang Chi narrowed his eyes upon hearing this, gave a hand gesture to the others, and walked in the other direction.
The man riding at the forefront, one hand gripping the reins, stood bathed in the setting sun's rays. His purple-gold coat shone with a luxurious luster in the afterglow, exuding an air of nobility. He glanced at Jiang Chi, his posture haughty.
"Third Young Master," Jiang Chi stepped forward and said, "Miss Zhongli said she was tired and asked them to stop and rest for a while."
"I didn't make her walk a single step, what's there for her to be tired about?" Sheng Fei said impatiently.
Jiang Chi explained, "Miss Zhongli was ordered to draw the constellations for Venerable Qin last night. She drew all night yesterday and has been traveling all day today. It's normal that she couldn't sleep well due to the bumpy journey."
Sheng Fei didn't reply and rode off to the back. Jiang Chi, seeing that he was determined to cause trouble for Zhong Li Que, simply shrugged and didn't stop him.
Two years ago, the young lady of the Zhongli family was taken in as a painting apprentice by Qin Shan, a master of the art of painting. Even His Majesty could not stop her from doing so. Now that Qin Shan is staying in the capital and cannot go out, he has sent his apprentice to travel around and record the celestial phenomena of various places.
"Boss, will the Third Young Master be alright?" Qiao Yuande asked, leaning closer.
"No matter what happens to anyone, the Third Young Master will be fine."
“Not only are they escorted by the Azure Dragon Army, but they also have a thirteenth-realm master accompanying them. She’s nominally a disciple of a Venerable One, and also a young lady from the General’s Mansion. If our young master…” Qiao Yuande made a face, “wouldn’t he suffer a loss?”
They all knew that Sheng Fei had never spoken properly in the past.
"Then what are we?" Jiang Chi pointed at him. "If Third Young Master suffers a loss, then you're the one who should seek revenge."
Qiao Yuande: "It's better to avoid trouble. People are delicate and precious. If they're tired, they should rest. How can they be compared to us roughnecks?"
Jiang Chi sneered: "Go tell that to the Third Young Master."
The Nangong family was tasked with escorting a secret treasure to Nanjing, and the patriarch assigned this mission to his third son, Sheng Fei. Also accompanying them was a young lady from the Zhongli family, tasked with recording the celestial phenomena observed along the way.
Sheng Fei rode alone to the back, looking down at the stopped carriage with a disdainful expression. Xiao Tao stood guard outside, watching the man warily: "Third Young Master."
"Tell your young lady to come down," Sheng Fei said.
Xiao Tao objected, saying, "Miss is resting."
Sheng Fei said calmly, "Since you want to get some rest, then go to the carriage at the front. It's more spacious, comfortable, and smoother."
"The Nangong family's group is ahead, how can that be allowed?" Xiao Tao didn't listen at all, and only lowered her head and said, "Miss stayed up all night painting and is exhausted. The mountain road is also a bit bumpy, which makes Miss very uncomfortable, so she stopped to rest for a while."
Sheng Fei was too lazy to waste words with a maid, and without even glancing at Xiao Tao again, he went straight to the carriage window: "Zhong Li Que".
He raised his hand and lifted the curtain.
"Third Young Master!" Xiao Tao tried to stop him, but it was too late. She could only glare at him resentfully, silently blaming him for his rudeness.
The carriage curtain was lifted, and Zhong Lique, who was sitting by the window, turned to look outside, her eyes meeting those of Sheng Fei, who was looking down.
The woman inside the carriage sat gracefully, with black hair and red lips, her expression serene. "Xiao Tao, come back," Zhong Li Que said gently, looking at Sheng Fei. "I've rested enough."
Sheng Fei glanced at the scenery inside the carriage without showing any emotion, and only spoke calmly when he saw nothing amiss: "If you want to rest properly, you need to get out of these mountains as soon as possible and reach the town after nightfall. Don't waste time on the road."
Zhongli Que said, "The stars are clearer in the mountains than in the town. Besides, it's almost nightfall and we still have a long way to go. Why don't we go a little further and rest in the mountains?"
Sheng Fei lifted his eyelids slightly: "You can't even stand the bumpy mountain roads, and Miss Zhongli still wants to spend the night in the mountains."
Zhong Lique seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in his words. He frowned slightly and spoke with a gentle tone: "Although there are wolves and tigers in the mountains, we also have the Azure Dragon Army and thirteen realm masters to protect us. Young Master, there is no need to be afraid."
Sheng Fei said, "Even jackals and tigers can't compare to a pampered young lady."
Zhong Lique: "With Xiao Tao here, Third Young Master doesn't need to worry about me ordering others around."
"Now that you've rested, let's continue on our way." Sheng Fei said no more.
The convoy continued its journey, and not long after nightfall, the Zhongli family's group stopped again to rest in the mountains. Jiang Chi stopped in the middle, looked at the Zhongli family's group that had stopped, and then at his own group that was still on its way. He raised his hand to touch his brow bone, sighed inwardly, and went to find Sheng Fei: "Third Young Master."
“The line behind has stopped,” Jiang Chi said. “Miss Zhongli said the celestial phenomena have changed, so she has to paint on the spot.”
Sheng Fei looked up at the sparsely starry sky and chuckled softly, "What could she possibly understand?"
And they're still spouting nonsense about changes in the celestial phenomena.
“She doesn’t need to understand it, she just needs to draw it,” Jiang Chi advised. “She is now a disciple of Venerable Qin and is on a mission to accompany him. Let’s be patient with her.”
Sheng Fei glanced at him but didn't reply. The procession stopped, standing a considerable distance behind.
Jiang Chi was assigned to keep watch on the middle section of the road.
Qiao Yuande yawned in the cold wind at night: "Boss, look at you, you insisted on persuading the Third Young Master. Now look what happened, we can't rest."
Jiang Chi yawned as well: "I'm going to get some sleep. You keep watch. If anything goes wrong, you'll have to take responsibility."
Qiao Yuande: "..."
Thick fog blanketed the mountains at night, obscuring the lights of distant towns. Sheng Fei received news at dawn that Ji Hongxing, the third young master of the Ji family, who was supposed to meet him in Anlan City, had disappeared.
The messenger said that the bodies of the accompanying caravan had been found, but the two young masters of the Ji family were nowhere to be seen.
After hearing this, Sheng Fei decided to take a detour to Xiangshan City.
Jiang Chi went to Zhongli's family to deliver a message, explaining to Zhongli Que through the carriage curtain: "Young Master Ji is suspected of being in trouble and has gone missing. His fate is unknown. The Third Young Master has decided to take a detour to Xiangshan City to look for him."
"The matter happened suddenly, and we all need to hurry on our way. Please forgive us, Miss Zhongli."
Zhong Lique did not object: "Let's do as the Third Young Master says."
She waited in the mountains all night, otherwise Sheng Fei would have missed the Ji family.
Zhong Lique saw Yu Sui in the unconscious activation of Zhu Xin, and saw the sacred stone covering the mountain wall in the divination.
I have to go and see for myself no matter what.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com